The Northumberland Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are advising the public of a recent scam that has been reported.
On February 20, 2020 a resident of Brighton reported to police that a text message was received on her cell phone reading:
“ Rogers has received a request to transfer your telephone number to another service provider, If you did not authorize contact Rogers urgently”
The victim believed this message to be spam and ignored it. Not long afterwards the victim discovered her phone to be inactive. The victim contacted the cell phone provider using another source and it was found that the phone number had been transferred to a new service provder (a process also known as porting).
Fraudsters are using SIM swapping and phone number porting to gain access to your email, social media and financial accounts. From there, they gain direct access to your personal information, calendar, contacts and money. Fraudsters may empty your bank accounts, apply for credit in your good name, or impersonate you to defraud your entire contact list. In the meantime, you lose access to your mobile service, are typically locked out of all your accounts, and are left scrambling.
Here’s how the scam works:
Your SIM card connects your phone number and mobile service to your mobile device. You connect dozens of your accounts to your mobile device through the use of apps. Most of these logins are linked to your email address, phone number or both.
A fraudster will impersonate you to gain access to your mobile account and may claim that their phone has been lost or stolen. Your phone number will be linked to a new SIM and device that the fraudster controls.
The fraudster then downloads a series of the most popular and most attractive apps. They will select the ‘Forgot Password’ button on all apps. If an account is associated to your phone number or email address, the fraudster will receive a verification code. They will then use this code to confirm ownership of the account, create their own password and takeover your accounts.
Tips to protect yourself:
· Keep your personal information personal. It is as simple as not publishing your date of birth on social media.
· Do not answer phishing emails or text messages looking for you to confirm your password or update your account information.
· Use an offline password manager.
· Contact your phone provider and ask about additional security measures that may be available.
· If you lose mobile service on your device, immediately contact your service provider directly.
The Northumberland OPP advise residents who have fallen victim to the SIM swap/ porting fraud to contact their service provider immediately. Notify your banking institution and change all passwords, including social media accounts and online banking and report the incident to the police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/ or 1 888-495-8501.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
